Justice for Trayvon Martin

Black Law Students all across Canada stood in solidarity with Trayvon Martin in April 2012.

Following is BLSAC's official statement:

BLSAC STATEMENT: Trayvon Martin Case

It is a sad day when a black man can still be judged, not by the content of his character, but by the colour of his skin. This is precisely what occurred on February 26, 2012 when Trayvon Martin, a young black male was lethally shot at the hands of George Zimmerman.

It is important to remember that this is not an isolated incident. Negative attitudes towards black males are pervasive in our society, and the automatic assumption that black males represent “danger”, whether donned in a hoodie or otherwise, is shameful. Sadly this is a routine occurrence in our society, as evidenced by the recent deaths of Ervin Jefferson (Georgia, age 18) and Bo Morrison (Wisconsin, age 20), who were both unarmed when they were lethally shot.

We must all recognize that this is not simply a problem relegated to the United States. Take for example, the fatal shooting of Michael Eligon by Toronto police, and a recent study in Toronto which found that Black males are three times more likely to be stopped and questioned by police, regardless of their place of residence. These instances of injustice and prejudice must come to an end.

We at BLSAC believe that the practice of racial profiling, as well as the underlying racism that makes it possible, needs to stop. We must be more actively engaged and make our voices heard. We urge the respective BLSA chapters to continue to engage students, faculty and administration with respect to the injustice of the Trayvon Martin case, as well as countless other cases in both the United States of America and Canada.

We, the Black Law Students’ Association of Canada, stand in solidarity with Trayvon Martin’s family and we are dedicated to ending violence and racial profiling against black males. We will not stand by and watch history repeat itself. BLSAC is committed to creating a permanent position within the Executive to speak publicly on issues of racial injustice that affect our community, to both put BLSAC in a better position to react to important events such as the injustice of Trayvon’s death, and to proactively address issues of injustice on a year round basis. We urge you to lend your support to, not only the Martin family, but to the fight against racism.

Please lend your support by signing the petition at: http://www.change.org/petitions/prosecute-the-killer-of-our-son-17-year-old-trayvon-martin.

Black Law Students’ Association Canada
Executive 2012-2013

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